Waterlands

UPDATEDAUTO-REFRESH 5 MIN

BluefishPeak season

Cape · North Carolina

Stumpy Point

35.76°N · 75.99°W · Cape · Alligator River

LOADING MAP

Best score today · 6 AM · Bluefish

80/100Great
Now
673 AM EST
Best window
5-9 AMEbb tide
Tide now
Ebbing0.4 ft ▼

Data from: NOAA CO-OPS + NDBC + ECMWF + Open-Meteo Marine · Waterlands engine

Notify me when Stumpy Point scores 75+

Checked every morning against the 14-day forecast. Free by push and email.

Sign in to set an alert

24-hour conditions

Tuesday, Nov 3 · 7 AM

Time7A
Score73Great
Tide0.3 ft ▼Ebbing
Current0.2 knmodeled · toward ENE
Wind6 kn ENEgusts 9 · steady
Sea stateCalm0.3 ft · 4 s
Air temp60°Mild
WeatherClear0% cloud
Water64°FBias corrected

Current regulations

What you can keep here today

IN EFFECT NOW

No rule for Bluefish is on file here yet, so its status is unknown, not closed. Confirm limits with NCDMF before you keep a fish.

Source: NCDMF · synced yesterday

Seasonality · 52-week view · this week ringed

When Bluefish is best here

Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak

Bluefish season by week of the year. Peak season for Bluefish · 8 more weeks at peak.
  • Peak
  • Shoulder
  • Off
  • This week

Bluefish in North Carolina →

Spot profile

Stumpy Point

Depth
2-8 ftFlat bottom
Structure
Point · Inner · Semi-exposedPoint · flat bottom
Season
Peak seasonBluefish

NOAA NCEI DEM, sampled Sep 13 on a 3.4 m grid. Depths are feet below NAVD 88, not chart datum (MLLW), so they can differ from a chart by a few feet. Not for navigation.

About this spot

Fishing Stumpy Point

Stumpy Point is a cape in Alligator River, North Carolina. Depth is 2-8 ft, with a flat bottom. Its profile reads point, inner water and semi-exposed.

Waterlands scores 25 species here; the best right now are little tunny, weakfish and Atlantic croaker. It is peak season now for little tunny, weakfish, bluefish and southern flounder, and shoulder season for Atlantic croaker, spot, black drum and red snapper. Little tunny peak from October through November. Weakfish peak from October through November. Atlantic croaker peak from August through October.

Tackle & technique

Bluefish
Bluefish travel in size-sorted schools and feed where tide pushes bait past structure: inlet mouths, rips, shoal edges and the surf line, mostly in water shallower than 60 feet. Look for birds and breaking bait and cast metal or poppers into it, or soak cut bunker or mullet on the bottom from the beach. Use a short wire or heavy leader because their teeth cut light line.
Little tunny
Little tunny travel fast in schools that pin bait against inlets, points, jetties and tide rips, usually within a few miles of shore and often in less than 60 feet. Stay off the school's path, wait for it to surface within range, and cast small metal or epoxy jigs with a fast retrieve. When fish stay down, troll small feathers along bait edges and color changes to find them.
Weakfish
Weakfish hold along channel edges, grass beds, oyster bars and bridge shadows in bays and sounds, usually in 5 to 40 feet of water, and feed hardest at dawn, dusk and after dark. Swim soft plastics or bucktails slowly near the bottom, or drift peeler crab and bloodworms. They have soft mouths, so keep the drag light and the pressure steady.

Nearby spots

Other spots within an easy run

  • Cypress Point

    Cape · 3.8 mi

    71
    Top: Little tunnyPeak season
    • Little tunny 71
    • Weakfish 69
    • Atlantic croaker 67

    6 kt NEL 9:15 AM · 0.2 ftH 3:55 PM · 0.5 ft

  • The Straits

    Channel · 4.3 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 68
    • Weakfish 65

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Grapevine Bay

    Bay · 4.7 mi

    70
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 70
    • Spot 70
    • Florida pompano 61

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

  • Orange Point

    Cape · 3.7 mi

    61
    Top: Atlantic croakerShoulder season
    • Atlantic croaker 61
    • Spot 61
    • Little tunny 58

    6 kt NEL 10:13 AM · 0.3 ftH 4:22 PM · 0.7 ft

Scores and forecasts are for planning only and can be wrong. Conditions on the water change fast; check the marine forecast before you go. Regulations change during the season, so confirm limits and closures with NCDMF before you keep a fish.